Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 27
7.6 percent. But Casalena said too many
hens were taken in the fall of 2018. A
shortened Thanksgiving season is hoped
to provide hens some relief. But Casalena
also is asking hunters to lend a hand.
"If fall hunters have a chance, then
select a smaller bird when picking one
out of a flock, which would go a long way
to helping turkeys locally and statewide,"
explained Casalena. "Lots of hunters talk
about shooting the largest bird that comes
in after breaking up a brood flock, but
that's usually an adult female. I'm asking
you to let her go. She's the one with the
most experience to help the flock survive
through winter. If you can, take a young
male or female; they have the lowest
survival and breeding success.
"Jakes usually don't get a chance to
breed hens and first-year hens have lower
nesting rates and lower nest and brood
success than adult females."
Casalena said, on average, 60 percent
of the fall harvest is hens. That alone is
reason to be more selective for a species
suffering repeated nesting and broodrearing losses in recent springs.
And don't forget to watch for those
bearded ladies, which are every bit as
productive as other hens.
"Passing on fall adult hens will promote higher hen survival into spring and
lead to more experienced hens nesting
and raising broods," Casalena noted. "It's
exactly what our wild turkeys need!"
Weather's influence and hunting
mortality of hens in recent years is well
documented, but neither has dropped
the statewide population below 200,000.
Since Pennsylvania's peak turkey population of 279,885 in 2001, the statewide
population has dipped below 200,000
only twice, in 2010 and 2005.
Casalena said other factors might
NOVEMBER 2019
be holding the turkey population back,
particularly local habitat changes. They
include too little habitat variety; declining
habitat quality due to native plants being
replaced by invasives; reduced oak and
cherry mast production; the loss of young
forestland, which provides abundant food
and cover; and the loss of nesting and
brooding cover.
She also hasn't ruled out predators.
"Predation typically only limits local
populations," Casalena said. "But high
predation rates may be symptomatic of a
landscape with poor habitat quality that
is causing turkeys and their poults to be
more vulnerable to predation."
Disease, including West Nile virus
(WNV), is another factor being investigated thoroughly by the Game Commission. The agency is seeking blood samples
from harvested turkeys this fall to measure
WNV antibodies in wild turkeys.
To participate, visit the Game Commission website for guidance.
THIS FALL
On any landscape, the distribution of
hunters and birds often will influence
hunter success. Run into too many hunters afield and you'll feel crowded; find
too few birds and maybe wish you were
somewhere else.
In general, it would appear fall turkey
hunters have all the room they need in
almost any county, with a statewide average hunter distribution of 2.3 hunters per
square mile. The most-crowded WMUs
had fewer than four hunters per square
mile.
The problem is, they don't have the
woods to themselves. They share it at one
point or another with deer and bear bowhunters, small-game hunters, waterfowlers, even trappers. Regardless of where
27
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019
Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 2
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 3
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 4
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 5
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 6
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 7
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 8
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 9
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 10
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 11
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 12
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 13
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 14
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 15
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 16
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 17
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 18
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 19
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 20
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 21
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 22
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 23
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 24
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 25
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 26
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 27
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 28
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 29
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 30
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 31
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 32
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 33
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 34
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 35
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 36
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 37
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 38
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 39
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 40
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 41
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 42
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 43
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 44
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 45
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 46
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 47
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 48
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 49
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 50
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 51
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 52
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 53
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 54
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 55
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 56
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 57
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 58
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 59
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 60
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 61
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 62
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 63
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - 64
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2019 - Cover4
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